I designed and shipped the custom UI layer for AWeber’s official ChatGPT app, from building with the OpenAI Apps SDK, to navigating the marketplace review process.
Overview
AWeber launched a beta MCP server for a select group of customers, giving power users a way to query their email data through AI. My role was to make that experience feel native within ChatGPT, like a product instead of a raw API response.
I built the custom UI using the OpenAI Apps SDK, then extended it with support for the MCP Apps API so the same UI works seamlessly in Claude.ai as well. The result is a cohesive experience with full light and dark mode support across both platforms.
Get Lists Tool
Get Subscriber Tool
Get Broadcasts Tool
Get Broadcast Stats Tool
Official AWeber App in the ChatGPT Apps Directory
UI Components Designed
- Mailing list overview
- Subscriber details with engagement metrics
- Recently sent messages
- Message statistics
Impact
The ChatGPT app was released as an MVP. We wanted to get the product into customers’ hands and learn from how they actually use it. The workflows people discovered on their own and the usage patterns and feedback we’re collecting are actively shaping what we build next in the MCP app.
One customer with 35,000 subscribers used the app to identify top-performing subject line patterns and optimal send windows across 90 days. This was a workflow nobody designed for them.
Another customer with 33,000 subscribers began looking up purchase history mid-conversation with customers, checking course ownership, subscription dates, and engagement in real time.
By the time the ChatGPT marketplace launched on April 20th, 2025, the app had already been live with 127 connected accounts, validating the infrastructure before public release.
Reflection
“Building infrastructure is different from building features. You don’t get to decide what it’s useful for… You find out!”